CNN's Jake Tapper pressed the Pentagon's deputy press secretary. Sabrina Singh spoke on Tuesday about whether terrorists are taking President Joe Biden's threat of “influence” seriously following the deadly attack on a US military base in Jordan.
A drone loaded with explosives crashes near a residential area of a Jordanian base, killing three U.S. service members and injuring at least 34 others. Mr. Biden blamed Iran-backed extremists for the attack, said it was still under investigation and vowed to retaliate.
A loose coalition of Iranian-backed extremists claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the New York Times, calling it “a continuation of our approach to resisting American occupation forces in Iraq and the region.”
Mr. Tapper asked Mr. Singh whether Mr. Biden's influence and threats of retaliation were being taken seriously by terrorist groups in the wake of the deadly attacks. (Related article: “Wait, wait, wait'': Republican Rep. Mike Walz says President Trump failed to deter Iranian invasion, heated argument with CNN host)
Mr. Tapper first asked Mr. Singh whether the Americans currently held hostage by Hamas would be locked up indefinitely, to which Mr. Singh replied that he would not get ahead of himself or the negotiations.
“Hamas killed an American and took an American hostage on October 7th. This other group, whatever it is, killed three American soldiers and took dozens more, at least 30. The Biden administration is concerned that these terrorist groups in the Middle East think they can do whatever they want to Americans without serious repercussions. I wonder?”
“Well, we absolutely have concerns. And we've said publicly that there's definitely going to be an impact. There's going to be accountability. That's why the President and the Secretary… You've probably seen me say very forcefully that I'll respond, and I'll respond when I'm ready. I'm not going to spell out or predict what the response will be. No, but definitely yes. These acts, these terrible tragedies that occurred earlier this week, will not go unsolved. We will hold those responsible accountable.”
In October, Biden warned Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei against targeting U.S. military personnel in the Middle East. Reuters report. Biden issued another private warning to Iran in early January, shortly before ISIS carried out a terrorist attack that killed more than 80 people, according to reports. CBS News.
The Biden administration has been claiming to be peaceful for months, but pressure is mounting to address escalating hostilities in the Middle East. White House National Security Council adviser Jake Sullivan said in October that under Biden's leadership, the Middle East is “quieter than it has been in decades.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned On Monday, he said the Middle East is currently “incredibly unstable” and facing unprecedented levels of danger.
